Aquaman #5

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
Company: DC Comics

What happens when you drop Arthur Curry in the middle of the desert? That's the question that Geoff Johns asks and answers in this issue of Aquaman. In all seriousness, Johns is on a hot-streak these days. All three of his titles, Green Lantern/Aquaman/Justice League, border on the good to great. For me, Aquaman has been the breakout. The way that's he humanized Arthur while at the same time showing what makes him a hero when most people think he's just a joke, has gone a long way to make fans flock to the title. It also doesn't hurt that Johns is doing unexpected things, zigs and zags when you're expecting straightforward tales.

Prophet #21

Writer: Brandon Graham
Artist: Simon Roy
Company: Image Comics

Go ahead and ignore the whole #21 that appears on the cover of this comic. Why? Because it's lying to you. Well, not really lying, more like fibbing. But in a good way, as instead this is a first issue, one that you can jump on and ride the crazy with. Let me reiterate the fact that you do not have to have read any of the Rob Liefeld drawn and written stories. In fact, I might just give a hearty, "Don't seek those out," but you know, I read them at the time and probably still have them in a box somewhere, so there's that. Still, Brandon Graham, the man behind King City and Escalators, brings a delightful and fantastical voice to the proceedings.

If I Ran DC: The DC Relaunch Re-Imagined

Well, as it sometimes happens, on days that are a little slower than others, the guys at the shop start talking about this. One day, a few months back, my friend and co-worker Randy Lander proposed an experiment. A What If, if you will, on what the DC Relaunch would look like if we were the ones behind the editor's desk. There were several caveats: First of all, we had to stay somewhat within reality. By which I mean, we assumed that a lot of folks already had contracts with DC, so almost anyone who had been on books before the relaunch and was still on books after the relaunch, we had to use. Also, we couldn't just grab anybody we wouldn't be able to get. Nobody who's a Marvel exclusive, there was no way Mark Millar was going to work for DC, etc.

Wolverine & the X-Men #4

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Nick Bradshaw
Company: Marvel Comics

I fear that Wolverine & the X-Men may be one of those books that I go back and forth on. One moment I like it, the next there are beats and moments that make me want to shoot laser beams out of my eyes and destroy the Earth...Or maybe just Krakoa. That may be overstating the hatred a bit much, but it properly captures the mood swings that this book injects. This fourth issue however was just what the doctor ordered.

Suicide Squad #5

Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Federico Dallocchio
Company: DC Comics

Well at this point, five issues in, it's official: Suicide Squad has become one of the best written titles being published by DC Comics. A bold statement, sure, but the craft is simply there. The name Suicide Squad has a lot of history in the DC Universe, and while I don't know if you can quite compare it to the utter insanity/awesome laden opus that was Ostrander's creation, there are many similarities between the two that make the reading experience exciting. Beyond that, writer Adam Glass hits the gleeful destruction button with regularity and allows the deluge of blood buckets, filled to the brim no less, to fall where they may.

Amazing Spider-Man #677

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Emma Rios
Company: Marvel Comics

As strange as it sounds, before getting too much into the review of this issue, I want to first take a few moments to define a certain word. In the world of comics, FUN is, it seems, a bit of a dirty word. It has the connotation of being easily dismissed or not really important, a watch-word that somehow instantly flips a switch in a person's brain that designates the comic as old school and therefore not worth their hard earned money or time. That is not my definition. My definition of the word FUN is a book that exceeds expectations, one that exudes cleverness, brandishes exciting action, and allows a reader to join in on the exploits of their favorite hero or heroine. Mark Waid understands that and meets every bit of that criteria for this issue of

Top 5 Comics: The Best of 2011 - The Creators

While it's been a little quiet around these parts as of late, I figured that it was time to change all that. What better way to accomplish that goal by joining many other comic book blogs in the fun task of running down the Best Of List for 2011. It was a huge year, one that saw a metric ton of comics that impressed and surprised and stood out from among the pack. With DC's revitalization to up and coming books that you always look out for, the comic book world flourished this year. This first part (of 2) will focus mainly on the comics themselves, while the next one will focus on the creators. Well, without further ado, TO THE LIST!

Fatale #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Company: Image Comics

It seems that the dynamic duo of the comics world have readily identifiable names: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Whatever they touch, they turn it golden. Fatale is no different. The story is very much in Brubaker's wheelhouse. The Noir elements and the Crime genre in general that has become his pedigree is front and center, just as it has been in his other titles, things like Criminal, Sleeper, and going a bit further back, Scene of the Crime. However, what makes Brubaker so memorable isn't just his ability to fashion a crime story, it's that he's able to fashion a story that entices and peaks your curiosity from page one, and from there sends you on an adventure that keeps you guessing and isn't the type to be forgotten.

Top 5 Comics: Best of 2011 Part 1 - The Comics

While it's been a little quiet around these parts as of late, I figured that it was time to change all that. What better way to accomplish that goal by joining many other comic book blogs in the fun task of running down the Best Of List for 2011. It was a huge year, one that saw a metric ton of comics that impressed and surprised and stood out from among the pack. With DC's revitalization to up and coming books that you always look out for, the comic book world flourished this year. This first part (of 2) will focus mainly on the comics themselves, while the next one will focus on the creators. Well, without further ado, TO THE LIST!